Facebook lets viewers tip live streamers of gaming content

Facebook has finally allowed viewers to tip their favorite gaming live streamers. A move seen to draw more gaming content and gamers to its platform.

The social network has been working its way into the lucrative gaming industry. In 2016, it teamed up with Blizzard Entertainment, maker of popular video games Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft. The partnership gives Facebook to use Blizzard gaming content on its platform.

On Thursday, January 26, TechCrunch reported that Facebook Live has added monetization for gamers. It allows users to tip streamers with at least $3 on the Facebook desktop site. But no word on how much the social network earns from it, yet.

The Competition

The tipping system places Facebook neck and neck with livestreaming leaders YouTube and Twitch. The latter companies have been offering in-stream payment options for viewers for a while.

It offers Cheer Chat Badges with equivalent Bit emotes signifying your level of support to the live streamers.

Image by Twitch

YouTube uses Super Chat. Its color, time pinned in the ticker and maximum message length determine the amount you need to spend.

Image by YouTube

On its part, Facebook is bypassing the larger dominations offered on rival platforms and start with a meager $3 for now. It opts not to add any signifier on how much the commenter or streamer has spent. But special emoji reactions prized at different amounts are in the works.

Facebook Gaming Creator

The tipping system is part of Facebook big push on gaming content through its Facebook Gaming Creator Program.

The popularity of gaming content is rising. And Facebook wants a piece of the pie on this lucrative market.

Twitch still leads with 15 million daily active users. It has a daily average of 106 minutes of content watched per user and 23 billion minutes watched per month.

What the Future Holds

Facebook will continue to ramp up its goals in videos, especially with gaming content. If the live stream donations will kick off, the company may want to expand beyond gaming streams.

They have yet to confirm if the tips will roll out to all live streamers. If that happens, more creators will flock Facebook Live. As it stands though, YouTube still has a more lucrative revenue potential.

If Facebook Live gaming streams will pull in enough revenue to rival YouTube, video creators and streamers will definitely switch. Facebook has a higher user base that they can tap into.